Helmets not worn in majority of fatal motorcycle accidents

Eleven motorcyclists have been killed in crashes in Iowa this year and Scott Falb, with the Department of Transportation, says most of the victims were not wearing a helmet. Nine out of the 11, or 82% of the fatality victims, were not wearing helmets.

A recent survey found only one in four motorcyclists in Iowa say they routinely wear a helmet, despite the fact that most of the people killed in motorcycle crashes die from a head injury.

"Our fatal crashes veer heavily towards the unhelmeted drivers," Falb said. "Not wearing a helmet is just one of the unsafe behaviors that motorcyclists that are killed in crashes engage in." Last year in Iowa, 53 drivers or passengers on motorcycles were killed in crashes. Nearly one-thousand more motorcyclists were injured.

"If riders would just put on that helmet, that would save a number of lives every year," Falb said. Iowa is one of only three states in the country without a law regarding helmet use. Many states require helmets for all riders, regardless of age, while others only require helmets for those 17 and under.

A motorcyclist was killed in a crash early Thursday morning in western Iowa. Authorities say the victim, 40-year-old Christopher Feller of Council Bluffs, had a helmet – but it was strapped to his bike. Police say no other vehicles were involved in the crash, which happened around 2:15 a.m. on Kanesville Boulevard in Council Bluffs.